Some causes that were pointed out in my research. This appears to be a world-wide phenomenon:

Farming's Darkest Challenge:

When we speak about the challenges of farming, we almost invariably talk about economic difficulties such as the cost-price squeeze and attaining economies of scale.

We speak about trading complications such as market access and unfairness in international trade regulations.

We often discuss the practical problems, which include having to contend with adverse weather events.

The challenges that we don’t often talk about are the emotional ones that farmers face.

Like many other challenges in farming, the psychological strain that farmers are under becomes more pronounced during times of extreme stress, such as suffering a devastating drought.

When the rain doesn’t come, farmers have to watch their cattle suffer and their crops wither away.

Lack of income means that farmers are unable to service production loans and the high level of debt they often own on land. Within one season, a farmer can go from being financially secure to being ruined.

It is a worldwide trend that when disasters strike, the number of farmer suicides escalates.

A recent article in Newsweek reported that in India, where farmers are confronted with high debt levels and frequent droughts, there have been more than 270 000 farmer suicides since 1995.

The number of farmer suicides in Ireland increased after an unusually wet winter in 2012, during which time farmers were unable to produce sufficient feed for their animals.

In the UK, the farmer suicide rate increased 10 times during the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in 2001, when the government required farmers to slaughter their animals.

And in Australia, the rate reached an all-time high following two years of drought from 2012 to 2014.

In general, the suicide rate amongst farmers tends to be higher than in any other occupation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US published a report in 2016 that indicated the suicide rate among people engaged in agriculture was the highest among 30 national Standard Occupational Classification groups, at 84,5/100 000 persons in 2012.

Some of the reasons frequently given for the high rate of suicide amongst farmers is that farmers tend to be extremely self-sufficient and independent, and therefore not adept at seeking help when they really need it.

Pride also plays a role, as does the lonely nature of farming.

Farmers and their families often live in isolated areas and might not have much social interaction.

This problem is made worse in South Africa because of the security threats of which farmers must be mindful, which force many farming families to stay indoors, behind security gates and electric fences, at night.

We need to cultivate a far greater awareness of this sombre challenge that farmers face. Government should know that when the farming sector needs its assistance in the form of drought aid, as many farmers in the Cape provinces currently do, for example, there is more at stake than the economic ripple effect of a below-average grain crop.

Caption: Suicide is more prevalent among male farmers aged 45 and older.

French farmers are at higher risk of suicide than the rest of the population, a new study has found, describing falling incomes and increasing environmental regulation as risk factors.

The study was carried out by the French public health authority and researched data from 2007 to 2011.

The study follows the shocking finding that farmers have a 20% higher suicide rate than the average for the French population, as shown by a 2013 research. Put into perspective, between 2007 and 2009, a French farmer committed suicide every two days on average.

According to the new study, in 2009 farmers aged 55-64 had a suicide rate of 64, meaning 64 in 100,000 farmers committed suicide. By comparison, France’s overall male suicide rate is 19, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The suicide rate is higher among small-holders, individual farms and farmers whose sole income comes from farming. This was explained in terms of increased vulnerability to financial risks and greater social isolation.

Falling incomes

According to data from the French farmers’ mutual insurance association (MSA), 30% of their members earned less than €5,000 in the whole of 2015 (or €350/month) – compared to 18% in 2014. In June, they warned that “in 2016 the majority of farmers may earn less than €350 a month.”

Many have all their assets tied up in the land and farm, and the lack of interested buyers prevents them from retiring or getting access to cash.

In 2016, the MSA established a national prevention plan to avoid farmers’ suicides, which seeks to increase prevention and improve the understanding of the phenomenon.

Environmental regulation

“Modernisation, binding ecological regulations, bureaucratic burdens” were listed in the study as the possible reasons behind the higher suicide rates among farmers.

The agricultural policy at EU level seeks to incentivise farmers to deliver agricultural benefits, something that will be furthered in the coming Common Agricultural Policy post-2020.

However, farmers complain that they bear the brunt of environmental policy costs without being properly consulted.

“Farmers are constantly painted as the culprit, guilty of their agricultural practices, guilty for using a certain type of products, while they are the victims from many points of view,” Véronique Le Floc’h, secretary general at Coordination Rural, France’s second largest farmers’ union, told EURACTIV.com.

“Agriculture is subject to WTO regulations and global prices – and today we have low prices, no revenue, and the morale is low. On top of this, we have new decisions and regulation that can further impact farmers’ working conditions and their ability to produce,” she said.

Member states will vote on the renewal of glyphosate, a weed killer that has been listed as a possible carcinogenic in 2015 by the WHO. But the European food safety and chemical agencies judged it is safe and a vote is scheduled for 5 or 6 October, with a qualified majority required for a renewal.

But France has already announced it will vote against, angering its farmers who recently blockaded the Champs Elysees in Paris to protest the decision.

“The ban on glyphosate will have a financial impact that has been assessed at between 1 and 2 billion euros, primarily on cereal farmers and wine growers. Today, given the lack of alternatives, it is clear that we must oppose this decision, knowing that in the current economic context, farmers don’t abuse [glyphosate]”, said Le Floc’h.

"Farmers and Agricultural workers" is going to be 95% dirt poor people who pick crops during harvest. Isn't seasonal farm work some of the lowest paying work there is? I would imagine any demographic that slants poor would also slant for a higher than average suicide rate, yeah?

Uccisore wrote:"Farmers and Agricultural workers" is going to be 95% dirt poor people who pick crops during harvest. Isn't seasonal farm work some of the lowest paying work there is? I would imagine any demographic that slants poor would also slant for a higher than average suicide rate, yeah?

The agricultural market right now and for awhile now is a big bubble where it will eventually pop. The same thing happened in the 1930's where big banks stripped the houses, property, and land of farmers.

The temple mount will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and all the nations of the world will be ruled from there. All races, cultures, leaders, and nations will come to bow before the new messiah yet to come. All will come to know the chosen of God who refer themselves as Jews. For every Jew there will be a thousand goyim that will be their slaves as it was ordained by God. Every man, woman, and child will convert to Zionism.

When Monsanto introduced non renewable seeds in India (meaning got the government to banish all natural seeds), suicide rates among farmers went through the roof.

A non renewable seed is a seed that produces crop that doesn't produce fertile seeds. So you have to buy them every season from Monsanto.I think US crop is also mostly non-renewable cancershit like that.

Fixed Cross wrote:When Monsanto introduced non renewable seeds in India (meaning got the government to banish all natural seeds), suicide rates among farmers went through the roof.

A non renewable seed is a seed that produces crop that doesn't produce fertile seeds. So you have to buy them every season from Monsanto.I think US crop is also mostly non-renewable cancershit like that.

Dentists, incidentally, appear to have the highest suicide rates.

Big corporations come in and squeeze all the small time farmers out.

Also, the amount of debt small time farmers get into just to keep afloat staying open for business. Eventually debt and compound interests wins.

The temple mount will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and all the nations of the world will be ruled from there. All races, cultures, leaders, and nations will come to bow before the new messiah yet to come. All will come to know the chosen of God who refer themselves as Jews. For every Jew there will be a thousand goyim that will be their slaves as it was ordained by God. Every man, woman, and child will convert to Zionism.

Uccisore wrote:"Farmers and Agricultural workers" is going to be 95% dirt poor people who pick crops during harvest. Isn't seasonal farm work some of the lowest paying work there is? I would imagine any demographic that slants poor would also slant for a higher than average suicide rate, yeah?

I would think that might be true for domestic workers, but not for migrant workers, who compose the majority of agricultural work force. They may be dirt poor where they work, but not where they send their money back to and permanently live at.